Travel Tip # 1 - Make international calls using Google Voice.
I'm a bit of an over-confirmer. When I make a plan, I like to know that everything that I've planned is going to happen as planned. Especially when I'm scheduling travel for someone else. And when I'm scheduling travel for Matt those plans often include international travel. When I book a last minute airport pick up for him, I like to book that via telephone in lieu of email (which is my normal method). International calls via cell phone can be very costly. With Google Voice you can place international calls either with the app on your cell phone or via computer for pennies per minute.
A few nights ago I phoned a hotel in Cairo to arrange for a "meet & assist" where someone from the hotel will meet the hotel guest at the airport, help them get their visa, luggage, expedite them through customs and then give them a ride to the hotel. Since Matt was arriving at 2 in the morning (what is it with flights in the Middle East leaving or arriving from 1 am to 4 am?) I decided that anything that would get him through the customs process quickly would be very welcome. 13¢ per minute is what the call cost me with Google Voice (total of 65¢). The same call would have cost me $2.69 per minute with my cell phone plan (for a total of $13.45). Hooray for Google Voice!
Also, when you are traveling internationally you can make calls back home for free by using Google Voice on your computer as long as you're connected to the Internet. Who doesn't like free and inexpensive? I know a lot of people use Skype with a lot of success...I've never used it. With Google Talk, Google Voice and my T-Mobile plan I've never seen the need to sign up for another service.
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